Jacob’s Problem

     Jacob just laid there, his head under his pillow and blanket, shivering. He kept repeating “No one loves me. No one loves me,” over and over again. His kind of long brown hair just hung there, next to his head. His brown eyes looked like they were staring at the wall, but actually they were staring off into space. He had been like this for 3 days straight. He didn’t want to go to school. He just laid there with his teddy bear, Lonely, in his arms. Everything was around him: his phone, his new laptop, his favorite baseball hat, a present from his ex-girlfriend. He felt so helpless.

     “No one wants me. I am so fucking lonely. There has to be something wrong with him,” he told his best friend Kyle the night before. “No girl thinks I’m good enough for them. I mean, there has to be something wrong with me.”

     “It’s just stupid high school. They’ll come to their senses eventually,” Kyle told him, kind of worried.

     Everybody was scared, especially his ex-girlfriend Jennifer. She knew how much his troubles were. She was also scared because he kept calling her and she didn’t want to talk to him. She thought that he was just stalking her, having his friends call her and all. She didn’t really know anything was truly wrong.

Just because he burned Erica’s panties once and cut his wrist wide open doesn’t mean he’s psycho. It just means that he’s mentally disturbed and wants somebody in his life because I know how he was. He was just lonely. He missed her. He got angry because he left her soon after they both gave it up to each other. His wrist sure did have a lot of blood come from one little inch deep wound. Not only that but Jennifer got annoyed when he called her from an anonymous number and didn’t talk.

     People should have known better than to annoy the signs. He was always staying away from everyone. I mean, he even threaten people. He got sent to the office because he accidentally told the wrong person about his plan to kill everybody at school. The girl he liked then, Daniella, then started going out with the friend that told on him because she felt sorry for him. What does he have left?

Everybody’s left him; Elisa left him three years ago. Georgia said she loved him but then she caught him kissing her best friend but decided to give him a second chance. The night they broke up the second time, he saw her “sleeping” with his brother, Amell. At his fifteenth birthday party, Georgia started going with his enemy, Rolle. They even kissed in front of him. He hardly ate anything that day. He was really angry and that’s the day that he became homicidal. He just wishes that his friends and family take him seriously.

     Kyle had tried to call him for three days straight, but he didn’t answer at all. His friend, Tony, even tried to call. He didn’t answer then either. His mom tried to get into his room but he had locked the door. He always locks his door now. He doesn’t trust anybody. Why should he? Look at his past.

     His dad even tried to get in. He still didn’t get the door open or even an answer to his call for help from his son. He loved his son, but was very worried about him. He was in the newspaper the next week, on the front page.

Boy Refuses to Move From Bed

     When this newspaper came out, his mother was upset.

     “How could they do this to my boy?” she asked his father. “That’s my little man up there.”

     “He’s 16 know, dear,” his father told his mother. “I think he can take care of himself. He’ll come out when he wants to.”

     Another week went by and still he didn’t move.

     “He must be hungry or thirsty,” his mother told his father. “I’ll just bring him some food and water. He’ll like that.”

     “Good luck, honey,” his father told his mother. “But I don’t think he’ll open up still.”

     She walked upstairs with the tray of food and water.

     “Honey dear, I have some food and water for you,” she said as she softly knocked on his door. She expected to hear footsteps, but all she heard was him still mumbling, “No one loves me.” She gave up on him and went back downstairs, leaving the red tray with the PBJ and glass of water on it.

     When she got downstairs, she called Jennifer right away.

     “You have to come over, dear. I’m really worried about him. He won’t eat or drink. Can you please come over and try to convince him to come out or at least get him.” his mother said to Jennifer as his mother tried to convince her to come over.

     “I’ll see what I can do, Mrs. Clapham. I will really try, but I can’t promise anything,” Jennifer told his mother.

     “Please, dear,” his mother pleaded again. “You’re all he ever talks about now and I’ve never seen him like this.” That made Jennifer fell guilty.

     “Mrs. Clapham, I’ll be over in about 5-10 minutes,” Jennifer said as she finally gave in.

     “Oh, thank you, Jennifer!” his mother yelled. “I know he’ll appreciate knowing that you love him      still.”

     “But I don’t love him anymore,” Jennifer corrected Jacob’s mother. “I just care for him.”

     “Sure, dear,” his mother said, unconvinced. “You tell yourself that. Whatever you believe, dear.”

     “But I don’t just believe it,” Jennifer said in her own defense. “I know it’s true.”

     “Like I said, dear,” his mother repeated. “You believe whatever you believe is the truth. I know the truth.”

     “But, Mrs. Clapham,” Jennifer started again. She sighed because she knew she wouldn‘t win with this lady. “Oh, never mind. Just tell Jacob that I’ll be there soon.”

     “Okay, dear, see you soon,” his mother told Jennifer.

They said good-bye and hung up. Jennifer went to her best friend's, Richard’s, house.

     “What should I do, Richard?” Jennifer asked Richard when she got there. “What do I tell him? Should I tell him that I’ll go back with him?”

     “Jen, do whatever you can to get him out of his bed,” Richard advised her. “But, if you say something like a promise, then don’t go back on your word. Because if you do, then he’ll just go back to the way he is now. Remember, Jen, you still love him. I know you do, so do what your heart says to do.”

     “I do not love him!” Jennifer shouted. “I’m sick of this. Why do people think I still love him?”

     “Because you still have the picture of you two in your purse,” Richard pointed out to her. “And because you won’t stop talking about him. You’re always saying what a jerk he was to you, but you still talk about him.”

     “Okay,” Jennifer finally said after a long pause. “I’ll admit it. I still love him. I love deeply and I care for him a lot. I don’t want to see him hurt anymore. I’ll tell him what I really feel.” Richard gave her ‘the look’. “I won’t tell him about my angry feelings. Just the good ones.” She gave ‘the look’ right back at him.

     She left there soon after and went straight to Jacob’s house. She walked in and his mother practically pushed her upstairs.

     “Jacob dear, you have a visitor,” his mother said softly as she knocked on the door.

     “No body loves me. No body loves me,” came from the voice inside the room.

     “It’s Jennifer, dear,” his mother continued, as if she heard nothing.

     She heard the sheets shuffling then feet shuffling.

     “Jennifer?” Jacob asked as he unlocked and opened the door. He was only wearing his boxers. “Is that really you?” He looks suspiciously at Jennifer.

     “In the flesh, Jacob,” Jen told him with a hug. “How are you?” she asked as if nothing was wrong and they were friends for a long time.

     “Isn’t that sweet, dear?” his mother piped in.

     “Yeah, I guess it is, Mother,” Jacob told his mother, still staring at Jennifer. He turned to his mother. “Mother, can you please leave now.” he said it more as a command than a question.

His mom walked over, picked up the red tray from earlier, and left.

     “Would you like to come in, Jennifer?” he asked as he turned back to her. He studied her for a minute. Long dirty blond hair, twinkling blue eyes, small figure. ‘Just as a remember her,’ he thought to himself. ‘Not even a single freckle is different.’

     She walked in and saw what had become of them since they broke up. He had clothes thrown everywhere. All his dragon stuff was just put places. The only thing that looked organized was the bookshelf, but it had dust on it, so she knew he hadn’t touched it in a long while. She sat down on his bed, which had blankets and pillows thrown all about on the full size bed. She looked at his new laptop. Then she looked at his old desktop on his desk. She knew there was another old one in his closet because he liked to collect them and experiment on them. He had walked over to his desktop and started messing with it. He dragged his hand along it, not looking at Jennifer.

     “So, um, I heard about you situation,” she finally got out.

     “What situation?” he looked at her puzzled.

     “About you, um, not, um, wanting to get out of bed and going to school,” Jen said in a nervous tone. He looked back at the computer.

     “That was a situation? I just thought that’s what everybody was expecting,” he said laughing. “I mean, that wasn’t really nothing.”

     “Jacob, do you miss me?” Jen asked out of nowhere.

     He turned to her and walked over to the bed, but didn’t sit down. He pulled her face to look at him, then walked back to continue ‘studying’ the computer. He dragged his hand along it again, not once looking over at Jennifer. “What gave you that idea?” he asked her.

     “Well, maybe because you wouldn’t get up for anybody but me for one,” she said gently.

     “So?” he asked. “That doesn’t mean nothing. Maybe I felt like getting up then.” The hand touching the computer started shaking.

     “Jacob, don’t lie to me,” she told him. “I know when you lie because you start shaking.” He grabs his hand so it wouldn’t shake anymore. “See what I mean?” She pointed at his hands. “You’re lying to me! Admit it!”

     “Never!” he shouted back at her. He turned away from her and saw his reflection in his mirror. He walked over to the mirror and studied himself. He looked at his shaggy brown hair and dull brown eyes; his bony figure underneath his black shirt and black sweat pants; Jennifer in the background, looking just as lovely as the day they started going out. He placed a bony finger to the mirror.

     “What have I done to myself?” he asked himself aloud. “I’m a monster! I’m a monster!” he screamed as he fell down and started banging his fists in the floor.

     “Jacob, don’t!” Jennifer rushed over to his side and tried to help him up. “Jacob, you are not a monster. You look just as handsome as you did the day we started going out. If there’s any monster in this room, then it’s gonna be me, not you. You were nothing but good to me and I left you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”

     He stopped and looked up at her. She had tears in her eyes. He could that much. She looked away, but he grabbed her face and brought it to look at his. He looked deep into her eyes. ‘So, she meant what she just said,’ he thought to himself. ‘She really loves me.’

     “And I really love you,” he said aloud, as if answer her thoughts.

     “Jacob!” She jumped up and gave him a hug, pushing him back on the ground. He turned her over and kissed her.

     “Yeah, girl, I’m back. Now, I have a very important question for you,” he told her.

     “What is it, Jacob?” she asked innocently. “What is this important question that you have for me?”

     “Would you like to be my girl again?” he asked her, playing around.

     “What do you mean, Jacob?” she asked, playing along. “I do not understand.”

     “Would you go with me again?” he finally asked her.

     “Of course, Jacob!” she yelled, giggling. “What did you expect me to say? No?”

     “Actually, I expecting you to say yes!” he yelled back, kissing her again.

     They continued ‘wrestling’. Downstairs, his mother heard them and smiled.

     “See, Terrance, I told you that all that boy needed was his sweetheart,” his mother told his father as she was drying and putting the dishes away.

     His father got up from the chair he was sitting in reading the newspaper. He walked over to his mother and placed his hands around her waist. He placed his head on her shoulders and whispered in her ear, “And all I need is my sweetheart.” He kissed her on the cheek.

     “Terrance, please. I’m trying to do dishes,” Jacob’s mother reminded Jacob‘s father.

     “Forget them.” He pushed the towel out of her hands. “Come with me. We’ll go have a good time now.” He dragged her out the door.

     Jacob’s parents had fun that night, being like kids again. They had another kid a few months later and named it Jennifer, after the girl who saved their little boy’s life.

     Jacob went back to school the next day and started eating again that night. Jennifer was there every step of the way back on his recovery. She never left his side. She loved him too much too. When they were out of high school, Jacob and Jennifer got married and had 10 kids. They tell their kids about that night because it’s important in Jen and Jacob’s timeline.